Oregon governor's CPR saves woman's life: Woman not breathing on side of road

Oregon governor administers CPR to woman not breathing and laying on the curb, he saves her life!

Mandel Ngam / Getty Images

Oregon Governor John Kizhaber was traveling through downtown Portland on Monday night when he came across a woman on the ground unconscious with someone trying to help her. He told his driver to pull over and he immediately went into action administering the unconscious woman CPR, according to KGW.com on May 6.

Kitzhabor told his security detail to call the paramedics while he was helping the woman. The very calm and cool governor continued on with the CPR until the first responders arrived and took over.

The woman had stopped breathing when the governor started the CPR on the victim, but she survived and he is being called a hero today. His life-saving actions clicked in immediately from his days as an emergency room doctor, which was his career before becoming governor.

He looked as natural performing that CPR on the corner of Southwest 13th Avenue and Main Street as he did back in the day when he was saving lives in a hospital. It was around 5 p.m. on Monday night when the governor happened to be in the right place at the right time to save this woman’s life, according to Boston.com.

One of the paramedics that arrived on the scene remembered the days when Dr. Kitzhaber worked his magic in the emergency room and he said it was great to see him back in action. The woman may have overdosed on drugs, according to reports today.

The governor was not available to make a statement but he communications director said:

"The governor wishes her well and hopes that she seeks treatment in order to avoid the bad situation she was faced with today."

This is not the first time that Governor Kitzhaber has gone into his life-saving mode while governor. Back in 2010 when he was debating during his campaign, he took care of a man in the audience who was having a seizure.

After that incident, Kitzhaber quipped about hearing someone say “Is there a doctor in the house,” and he thought they were joking. He then looked up and saw the person having the seizure. It appears once a doctor, always a doctor, at least as far as the good governor is concerned!

Kitzhaber is going for an unprecedented fourth term in the governor’s seat. While saving this woman’s life was nothing more than a good deed, it certainly can’t hurt his re-election campaign!

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Roz Zurko is a freelance writer originally from Milford, Conn. Today she writes from her home at the foot of the Berkshires in Massachusetts. Her articles have appeared in magazines, newspapers and online. She has been a guest author on BBC radio and her online articles are read by more than a million people each month.